Second-hand time travel: Liu Bei, the big-eared bandit

Chapter 351 Go and commit treason!
Liu Bei sent Xun Yu to Mount Tai to drive away the people sent there by the powerful families of Yanzhou, which was indeed intended to cut off Xun You from Yanzhou.

If Xun You hadn't created some conflict with the various families in Yanzhou, how could Liu Bei have dared to use him?

Xun You came to Qingzhou with Liu Xie and has been in Linzi for over a year. He is nominally a Gentleman Attendant at the Palace Gate, but he has always lived in the guesthouse.

It was because Liu Bei never dared to use him.

Although there is an official position called Huangmen Shilang, this position is the same as a commoner in Qingzhou... because there is no Huangmen Office in Qingzhou at all.

Xun You himself was well aware that if he did not take the policy exam and did not take the initiative to do things, he would only be able to live in the guesthouse as an idle person.

Only by following the path set by Liu Bei and being reinstated as an official can one gain Liu Bei's trust.

In fact, Liu Bei did not restrain powerful scions like Xun You; it's just that Qingzhou had not used the recommendation system to appoint officials for the past two years.

In Qingzhou at this time, being recommended for official appointment was no longer the proper way.

They either relied on military merit or on actual achievements.

If you want military merit, join the army in the general's mansion; if you want political achievements, take the policy examination and participate in practical work.

Reputation and family background are useless; commoners and noble families are treated the same here.

Xun You's initiative in asking Liu Bei what he needed to do meant he knew that Liu Bei now dared to use him.

"Indeed, Gongda was given an assignment..."

Liu Bei said to Xun You, "As early as the beginning of the year, I announced to the world that the emperor was going to Mount Tai to worship his ancestors... Gongda, do you know why?"

"This is so that those with ill intentions will be led to Mount Tai."

Xun You nodded and asked, "Does Lord Xuande intend to wipe them all out in one fell swoop?"

"No, the families from Yanzhou, Henan, Qingzhou, and Xuzhou, as well as officials from various places, will all be gathering at Mount Tai these days."

Liu Bei shook his head: "I can't possibly kill them all, otherwise it would only lead to a major war. I also can't distinguish which ones are disloyal and which ones are loyal to the emperor and love their country... I would like to ask Gongda to help me distinguish them."

With the agricultural policies just implemented and so many oxen acquired, Liu Bei truly did not want to start a major war and needed to allow the people to recuperate.

The less war we fight now, the faster we can develop. Unless we have to quell a rebellion, we should avoid fighting if possible.

But we can't let the enemy cause trouble; we need to let the right people solve the problems.

Xun You and Xun Yu were the most suitable people... even though Xun Yu was not Liu Bei's man.

"...Is this the test question that Lord Xuande gave to You?"

Xun You closed his eyes: "You asked my paternal uncle to persuade the various families in Yanzhou, and you also asked me to find a way to make them kill each other... This is quite a difficult question for Lord Xuande."

"Is it difficult? With Gongda and Wenruo's talents, it should be a piece of cake, right? Those who can heed Wenruo's advice are still salvageable, and I'm willing to let them go. As for those who don't listen to advice... Gongda, go and guide them to rebel."

Liu Bei smiled and said, "Whether or not to inform Wenruo about this matter is up to Gongda to decide. But if this matter fails, I won't bother to make such a clear distinction anymore..."

Send Xun Yu to persuade all the families in Yanzhou to leave; it would be even better if he could persuade them all to leave.

Those who didn't leave were to be "inside agents" under Xun You's guidance in their plot to rebel.

Even if this matter fails, or Xun You betrays us, it doesn't really matter. Since Liu Bei has taken precautions, nothing bad will happen.

However, if this matter succeeds, the Xun family will be hostile to all the families in Yanzhou, including those who were previously persuaded by Xun Yu to leave.

Of course, Xun You could choose not to participate, but the consequences of doing so would be far more severe. If the various factions' plans at Mount Tai failed, the factions in Yanzhou would still believe that the Xun family had betrayed them. Liu Bei, on the other hand, would completely lose the Xun family, finding himself in a lose-lose situation with no way to explain himself.

"...Please grant me permission, Lord Xuande, to carry the imperial regalia to Mount Tai to build a palace for Your Majesty."

Xun You nodded and accepted the task.

“It is the Yellow Gate Attendant’s duty to do this… You can go and make the arrangements yourself. If you need manpower or supplies, you can apply to Zilong and Wenhe for them.”

Liu Bei clasped his hands in a salute to Xun You: "Gongda, after the emperor's ancestral sacrifice, I will implement a policy that combines profit and righteousness. At that time, I will need someone as knowledgeable as Xunzi as you. After this policy is tested, you will take charge of the law and promote the teachings of Xunzi."

Xunzi's philosophy emphasizes both rites and laws. Liu Bei mentioned so many of Xunzi's doctrines to Xun Yu, clearly hoping that someone who truly understood the importance of both rites and laws would be in charge of enacting laws.

To share the world with the king, one must first dedicate oneself to the king.

……

That evening, Xun You saw Xun Yu off outside the city.

“Uncle, the Right General has given me a task…”

Xun You smiled bitterly: "If my paternal uncle cannot persuade all the clans in Yanzhou, then my Xun clan will be wiped out in Yanzhou."

"To be eliminated in Yanzhou?" Xun Yu glanced back at Linzi City. "What? Has the Right General ordered you to eliminate the traitors?"

"……yes."

Xun You did not tell Xun Yu what Liu Bei truly wanted him to do: "This is a test of strategy to gain merit, and also a pledge of loyalty..."

Xun Yu nodded: "It is appropriate to have a pledge of loyalty... However, how did the Right General know that various families in Yanzhou had sent people to Mount Tai?"

"This matter was announced to the world as early as March. With such a long period of time, there must have been people with ulterior motives secretly making arrangements..."

Xun You smiled wryly: "General Right has many spies under his command, and Sun Guan and other people from Mount Tai are not on good terms with various famous families. If they want to plot something in Mount Tai, of course they can't hide it from General Right."

"...I can only persuade the families of Yingchuan...Chen Gong and the others will not listen to me. If you lead troops to pacify Mount Tai...my Xun family will be regarded as a member of the Right General's faction."

Xun Yu lowered his head: "Does the Right General always give people such difficult assignments?"

“I don’t find it difficult... If I don’t comply, I will still be regarded as an informer by everyone.”

Xun You sighed: "Father, I have no choice but to serve under the Right General... Please persuade the clan to seek refuge in Qingzhou if there are any difficulties."

……

……

November 28th, Winter Solstice.

The "至" in "冬至" actually means "extreme".

On this day, the sun shines directly at the southernmost point of the earth, and the Northern Hemisphere enters the coldest period of the year.

For regions north of the Tropic of Cancer, the winter solstice is the day with the shortest daylight and the longest night of the year.

According to the theory of Yin and Yang, the winter solstice is the beginning of the yin and yang cycle in the whole year. When the yin energy is at its extreme, it is the time when the yang energy begins to grow.

This year (190) was the Gengwu year, a year with both Yang stem and Yang branch. The winter solstice of this year was a day of vigorous Yang growth and an extremely auspicious day.

Typically, the Han people would offer sacrifices to Heaven on the Winter Solstice.

On the winter solstice, when the yang energy is restored, people offer sacrifices to Heaven; on the summer solstice, when the yin energy is restored, people offer sacrifices to Earth. The sacrifices to Heaven are made in the south, and the sacrifices to Earth are made in the north—this is the tradition.

Mount Tai is located south of Linzi.

The most important matters of state are sacrifice and war. Sacrifices are not about feudal superstition, but mainly about maintaining the unified faith and cultural identity of the entire country.

Of course, the sacrificial activities of the Han Dynasty usually had two additional practical functions.

One purpose was to guide and regulate agricultural production, which is why Liu Bei would take Liu Xie to Mount Tai to worship their ancestors shortly after issuing the agricultural policy.

Secondly, it is a way to publicly demonstrate dominance and highlight legitimacy.

This ancestral worship ceremony at Mount Tai was a very large-scale event.

Xun You set up a camp at the foot of Mount Tai in advance.

This is not a palace, but a camp, because it will only be used for a few days, just for temporary residence.

The camp was not located next to Mount Tai, but was built in a wilderness, entirely constructed of wood and curtains, stretching for several miles.

The altar was located in the very center of the camp, with two tiers of high platforms, making it the highest point in the entire camp and quite conspicuous.

The altar was surrounded by a standard large military camp structure, with a gate, a stockade, and curtains as outer walls, enclosing a restricted area three hundred paces in length and width.

No one is allowed to enter the restricted area when no ceremony is being held.

The outer area consisted of tents, which were used as temporary lodgings for the accompanying personnel.

Officials from all over the country who came to Mount Tai have gathered at the military camp.

They all arrived early, some even a month or two in advance.

Even before the camp was set up, this place was already waiting for many people...

Moreover, when Xun You first arrived, all the people who came before him took the initiative to have their servants help set up the camp, which showed that they were quite enthusiastic.

It's early morning on the winter solstice, and the sky is still dark.

The entire camp was brightly lit, and the night view was extremely spectacular.

(End of this chapter)